Oh, Quartzsite. How did we even end up here…?
…And how Long have we been here…? 🥴
I don’t even know, man. It’s been a hot minute….
🦂 🥵 🐫🌴
Jordan had been to Quartzsite a couple years ago, and he thought that it would be a nice, warm place to spend the winter / wait out the Quarantine Season. No better social distancing than in the Desert!!! 🌵🌒✨
We came into town after visiting Family in Las Vegas, and found a campsite on some BLM land. We were able to buy food, water, and supplies in town at one of the two local groceries, Coyote or Roadrunner. We bought wood from a vendor called “Woodstock”. (These guys are killin it with the creative names!!! 🤣) There are a few other stores, like Family Dollar & Dollar General, but Quartzsite is pretty small Town.
We hung out, did some busking on the weekends, met alot of really Great players, and had a couple super Amazing outdoor Jams!!!
We also crashed the Thursday old folksOpen Mic at the Quartzsite Improvement Association (QIA) a couple of times.
Good to get ‘em some fresh blood in there!!!
And always a pleasure to be mic’d up, on stage, underneath the bright lights, in front of a (socially distanced) audience!!!
What a treat!!! Especially in these Times!!!
The Music/busking scene here is pretty Sweet, but Quartzite is also all about the Vendors. It reminds me of Madmax or Waterworld, super post apocalyptic, end-of-the-world vibes. Little 10×10 tent cities sprouting up all over the town. The last party on Earth.
☠️💀☠️💀☠️
There are three main vending spots in Quartzsite: Tyson Wells, High Alley, & Desert Gardens.
Tyson Wells hosts three of their own events- Rock & Gem Show, Sell-A-Rama, and Arts & Crafts Fair. TWells has the heaviest security, but it has the highest foot traffic. Lots of snowbirds. They also host a “Big Tent” RV & Motorhome selling event. The season usually lasts from around December to April, give or take.
High Alley is across the bridge with less restrictions and more of a swap-meet feeling. Desert Gardens is in the back behind Twells, and is mostly rocks and Gemstones. There are a few other vending slots, like the Pow-wow that happens at the QIA, but those are the main locations. All are open-air, some have temperature check-points and mask requirements. Many vendors move their spots around depending on availability and what events are going on.
I decided Tyson Wells was a good place to open a G.h.unk Booth. It seemed the safest and like I would meet the best mix of people there. They happened to have a spot available for both of the two slowest (least expensive) shows, and since I wouldn’t have to move between shows I would gain a couple vending days for free!!!
I had a bit of money left from the stimulus and unemployment, so I was able to afford the rent and permits too. I used half the money to catch up on taxes and student loan debt, and the other half to take a gamble on my business…
We’ve taken G.h.unk to Festivals and Photoshoots, done some blanket-vending and had a spot at the Artwalk in Puerto Rico, but never anything like this!!! This was our biggest endeavor to date!!! And all in the middle of a global pandemic… oooohweee!!!
😷😷😷😷😷😷
I wasn’t necessarily worried about getting sick. I had my shawl & mask on, and most other people were also masked and practicing social distancing. Hand sanitizer was present at mine & many other booths. Many of my readees were wearing protection and some even sporting gloves. In addition, I wasn’t staying at the vending spot overnight like most people. Penny and I retreated to the Desert each night to join Jordan back at Camp. ✨⛺️🔥
It was really nice to be able to use the power/water at TWells, do readings, Art, & Sewing projects in the workshop, and then close up shop, go and have campfire cookin in the Desert every night. Plus Penny Loved the long walks into town!!! A little more work, but it ended up being best of both worlds!!!
At first I was a little worried about leaving my sewing machine and Art stuff there unattended, but my Neighbors were super chill and kept an eye out for me when I was away. No creepy business!!! 🙅♀️ Plus one of the security guards was a fan of the band, came to me for a reading/sewing work, and kept an extra eye out as well.
✨😇🙏✨👁🧿👁✨🙏😇✨
During this event, “I get by with a little Help from my Friends!!!” was a line that kept popping into my head. More than once, my neighbors also Helped keep my tent from taking flight while I was away. 50mph winds are no joke!!! 🌀😳💨
I knew I was gonna learn some “Big Lessons” from the Universe by doing this, and that was sure one of em. Knowing which stresses to worry about and which to let go of. Learning who you can really Trust when the media tells you not to trust anyone around you cuz they could be an inadvertent killer…
Well that all may be very true, but what are the side effects of Living in that FEAR?
Don’t get me wrong, the decision to do this whole thing was not taken lightly and the pros and cons were weighed against each other again and again (classic Libra indecisiveness). In the end, I decided that the Lessons and Messages that were gonna come thru were gonna be worth it, for both myself and my Guests. The ones that were gonna find me needed me and I needed them and to be able do this, despite the risks involved. So do it we did!!!
At first I was a little guarded, this being my first “Real” (solo) Vending experience, not really knowing exactly what to expect. Especially during Covid and while trying to simultaneously train a 4mo puppy on how to properly behave in social situations (when I’m not even sure I know myself half the time!!! 🙃😬🤣). And it was Definitely a little weird with all the extra precautions and preparation that had to go into effect due to Covid…
But I’m glad we did it. I’m also really glad was a slower year. Not too many people came out in comparison to previous years, and I think I might’ve been overwhelmed if the events had been going full-force. This also gave me more of an opportunity to get my bearings on an event like this and G.h.unk Booth train Penny during it too. She did a fabulous job and was the star of the show alot of the time!!! 🤩🥰
By the end we both made a lot of Amazing new Friends, gained a bunch of experience, & Helped out alot of people!!!
✨🔥❤️🔥✨
